Minnesota doctors push for assault weapons ban

What do doctors know, anyway? The Star Tribune’s Jeremy Olson reports: “Minnesota’s largest physicians’ organization has entered the debate over gun control, calling for a ban on assault weapons and more research on gun violence, in reaction to last month’s Florida high school shooting. … While the stance risks political fallout, including the defection of pro-gun doctors, leaders of the Minnesota Medical Association said they felt compelled to confront gun violence as a public health issue.”

Gross is right. The Pioneer Press’ Sarah Horner reports: “Upset that the woman had turned down his romantic advances, a Minneapolis man urinated in his co-worker’s water bottle, authorities say. … Conrrado Cruz Perez, 47, was charged with two counts of adulterating a substance with bodily fluids, according to the criminal complaint filed against him in Ramsey County District Court. … The first count is a gross-misdemeanor; the second is a misdemeanor.”

Maybe flip on the Current today. The Current’s Andrea Swensson writes: “Today is International Women’s Day, and the Current is in the midst of a 24-long celebration of influential women artists — find our full day of programming here. As we spend the day reflecting on the issues facing women around the world, it got me thinking about all the incredible, pioneering artists who have broken down barriers right here in the Minnesota music scene. Read on for a list of 20+ women who helped lay the groundwork for the vibrant community we have today, dating all the way back to the early 1930s and running up to 1990.”

You want a long tale of a Minnesota-connected conman? Of course you do. The Atlantic’s Rachel Monroe has what you need: “By the spring of 2016, Missi Brandt had emerged from a rough few years with a new sense of solidity. At 45, she was three years sober and on the leeward side of a stormy divorce. She was living with her preteen daughters in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota, and working as a flight attendant. Missi felt ready for a serious relationship again, so she made a profile on OurTime.com, a dating site for people in middle age. … Among all the duds—the desperate and depressed and not-quite-divorced—a 45-year-old man named Richie Peterson stood out. He was a career naval officer, an Afghanistan veteran who was finishing his doctorate in political science at the University of Minnesota. When Missi ‘liked’ his profile, he sent her a message right away and called her that afternoon. They talked about their kids (he had two; she had three), their divorces, their sobriety. Richie told her he was on vacation in Hawaii, but they planned to meet up as soon as he got back."